Black Doll 2020

Curator: This is "Black Doll," a 2020 painting by Cornelius Annor. The work shows a family of three watching television. What’s your first take? Editor: I’m struck by the colour palette - that almost uniformly orange wall against the blues and yellows of the figures. The whole thing feels very static and posed, doesn't it? A very deliberate arrangement. Curator: The artist seems to engage with genre painting and social realism through this piece, wouldn't you say? These scenes of everyday life, imbued with particular cultural and political weight. It seems as though Cornelius is holding a mirror to society, but perhaps reflecting back something more…complex? Editor: Yes, that stillness lends a monumental quality to a seemingly ordinary scene. And consider the flatness, that slightly naive style, but each flat color has tiny variations on each object of the room. I'd call it "naive" but, looking closer, there's definitely some skill. What is he getting at with it? Curator: I read it as a statement about the African family in modernity, and how they internalize popular media. I mean, the woman on the TV is notably Michelle Obama, she could symbolize hope and resilience of African people within modern culture. Editor: I notice how everything, including the furniture and television itself, is carefully rendered with these blocks of color, contributing to this iconic feel. This contrasts quite strongly with the very small television placed awkwardly within the space; the message of hope almost becomes an intrusion. Curator: Absolutely. He places the hope, no, that cultural ideal within a dated vessel. Perhaps Annor’s commentary is about the pace of that "hope" reaching the African community, a message delivered through an obsolete device and a warped broadcast. Editor: It’s interesting how such a simple composition yields such complexity in its possible interpretations, both the space and the form create these possible readings. Thanks for those contextual points, it's given me a great amount to reflect on. Curator: Indeed, analyzing the societal context alongside the stylistic decisions brings such incredible nuance to Annor’s art. Food for thought.